Sunday, 12 July 2015

A portion of damaged Nature Trust property in the Gilpin
Grasslands has been fenced by volunteers to protect a spring and riparian area.
This will be the first time since the property was acquired by Nature Trust in
1973, that this piece will be protected from range cows and off-roaders.

The fence was proposed at meetings of the Committee for the
Enhancement of the Gilpin. Work began late 2014 and was completed June 2015.

Approximately 6 acres of Nature Trust land is now protected
by wildlife friendly fencing. As per recommendations of Montana State Wildlife Friendly Fencing Brochure. See link to Montana State fencing
guidelines on dryrotjournal blog: Lost Lake..... Nov 2014.

newly fenced area outlined. lost lake shows nearby to NW
click on pics to enlarge

Barry Brandow and Al Grant of www.boundaryalliance.orginitiated, led and financed materials for the
project and substantially completed the work with occasional help from other
volunteers and some hours contributed by Nature Trust’s Nick Burdock and
helpers. The fence represents a contribution by volunteers of $9,300.00 to
$10,700 value (based on contactor prices of $14,000 to $ 16,000 per km.)

The original fence proposed would have expanded the area of
a dis-functional fence installed by Range Branch several years ago. At the
request of Nature Trust the area was expanded and ground conditions dictated a
further expansion, so that the protected area is now 70% larger than originally
proposed. It was originally intended that the fence be in place before arrival
of range-cows in May. We were unable to complete the enlarged area on that
schedule so some cow damage re-occurred in 2015 before completion of the
exclosure.

We expect that exclusion of range cows and off-roaders will
result in a significant improvement in the natural attributes of the area in
future years.The range-cattle are supposedly in the area from May 7 to
June 15th each year but the reality is that range-cows have often
frequented the area from May through Oct/Nov with significant damage to
riparian zones and undue pressure on forage. See dryrotjournal blogs: Lost Lake .... Nov 2014 and Mike Pearson....June 2015 for biologist Mike Pearsons' report on this site and others in the Gilpin.

Prior to this initiative various public funds have been
expended by Range Branch in the Gilpin grazing tenure, usually poorly planned,
poorly constructed, non wildlife friendly and frequently dysfunctional.
Examples abound outside the Gilpin area as well.

It is sad irony to this writer that he volunteered time ,
equipment and expense to this project when the rational solution to degraded
grasslands, contaminated streams and absurd public costs, would be removal of
the cow from public lands. See dryrotjournal blog articles: Cattle Impacts Global & Local
Nov 2014 and Cattle as an Invasive Species Dec 2014.

To illustrate the economic and ecological absurdity of
cattle grazing on public lands using this small local example, this pasture on
the Mehmel grazing tenure collects grazing rents of approx. $400 to $500 P.A.
The extended version of this article which will be published at www.boundaryalliancer.org will have further comment on the inadequacies and unenforceable conditions in the Mehmel
Range Use Plan.

The “cost” to protect a small portion of Nature Trust’s lot,
amounted to “value” of $9,300 to $10,700. Various other public and private
costs in the same pasture have likely exceeded this amount while the majority of the
Nature Trust and public land portions remain mostly unprotected from
range-cattle damage and off-roading.

While it is our hope that this initiative will:

·Allow recovery of the Nature Trust spring and
surrounding area

·Demonstrate improved natural values in the
absence of cattle grazing and off-roading.

·Demonstrate the effectiveness of wildlife friendly fencing in the face
of Range Branch’s reluctance to use same.

On the latter point we are less than optimistic. Range
Branch has shown no ability or inclination to change their practices for the
benefit af anything other than cattle grazing.

More detail, location maps of NT property, expanded comment
and more pics to come in the website expanded version) at: www.boundaryalliance.org

Quotes

"the human understanding once it has adopted an opinion.....draws all things else to support and agree with it"

"and although there be a greater weight of instances to be found on the other side, yet these it either neglects or despises, or else by some distinction sets aside and rejects, in order that by this great and pernicious predetermination the authority of its former conclusion may remain inviolate".Sir Francis Bacon, about 400 years ago

Today psychologists call it "confirmation bias".Knowing its universal reach is to guard against it.

"facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored"

Aldous Huxley, Complete Essays

"it is impossible to get a man to understand something if his livelihood depends on him not understanding"Upton Sinclair

"one of the penalties of an ecological education is that one lives alone in a world of wounds. Much of the damage inflicted on land is quite invisible to laymen" Aldo Leopold

"experts are often as imprisoned by their beliefs as anyone else"Bob Wiley The Mud Report